Wholesome goodness coming up from Cat’s Farm

What started as a simple conversation about maple syrup evolved into a unique gardening venture between two people of different generations and backgrounds who share the same mission of making wholesome and garden-fresh goodness available to community members.

Emily Gibbs of Sully has always made healthy eating a priority for her family. While she’s quite proficient in preparing healthy and nutritional dishes, she’s now gaining hands-on experience of the growing side of fruits and vegetables thanks to Dennis “Cat” Terlouw, a local farmer with years of farming and gardening experience. This spring, Gibbs teamed up with Cat, and together they look forward to sharing their passion for healthy and wholesome foods with the community.

Cat shares gardening tips with Gibbs' oldest daughter, Phenix. Gibbs' children often help with gardening chores.

Cat’s roots run deep – he has worked and loved his family’s land north of Sully for 31 years, many of those years working alongside his brother, Doug, who is also well known in the area as a master gardener. Cat’s passion for the agriculture industry is evident in his farming practices and the produce he grows year after year.

“Cat is a perfectionist and is extremely passionate with how he grows things. He gives so much respect from seed to harvest on his farm,” said Gibbs.

Cat does not use harmful pesticides or herbicides on the farm, and he produces his own compost. This method of farming along with a solid work ethic has led to Cat gaining a reputation as a well-known producer of only the best garden-fresh goods. For decades, he has been a mainstay within the farmer’s market scene. His produce has made its way onto the shelves of grocery stores, has satisfied diners’ tastebuds at local restaurants, and has been a staple of Central College’s food service program. “His customers are ever-growing,” said Gibbs.

Gibbs is a health advocate who strongly believes in fueling the body properly. After learning more about the experienced farmer, she latched on to Cat’s gardening philosophy immediately and saw the potential benefit locals could reap from such expertise and commitment. An idea formed and together Cat and Gibbs are teaming up this growing season to expand the reach of Cat’s wholesome produce.

This spring, Cat’s Farm was launched. Gibbs is overseeing the Facebook page and updating it regularly with daily progress pictures and details of what is growing. She shares about the daily chores completed as well as the harvest taking place, which at this time is juicy and delicious strawberries. It’s on the Cat’s Farm Facebook page where locals can learn about the produce boxes that will soon be available to the community.

In his 31 years of farming – several of those years spent gardening with his brother – Cat has developed a faithful following of people who enjoy the fresh produce grown locally. The number of families wanting to reap the benefits of the wholesome produce grew after the Facebook announcement of produce boxes being available to the public. Today, Cat has a list of 35-plus families, and that number is expected to increase.

Small, medium, and large produce boxes will be available as harvest allows, and pricing for each will be determined based on what is in season, the size of the box, and the level of commitment of the customer (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly). The boxes will not be customizable but will rather include a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables that is currently in season.

A happy customer of Cat's Farm shares this photo of a salad made of fresh and organic ingredients from the latest produce box.

Gibbs said the produce box business is a learning process. Cat and Gibbs are taking it day by day and adapting as the growing season ramps up. Gibbs visits Cat daily on the farm and assists in the daily chores. She is also taking charge of the sales and marketing portion of the business.

“I am assisting him on the farm to help serve the community,” said Gibbs. “Cat is like another dad to me, and being able to help him is an absolute joy. He’s getting older, and he’s worked so hard. I want to honor him in that way.”

Locals are encouraged to like the Facebook page, Cat’s Farm. There they will see pictures of the farm and harvested goods, learn gardening tips, and stay informed on produce availability. Right now, the Facebook page is the only place local community members can express interest to buy Cat’s produce. The beautiful and delicious strawberries, a shared venture between Cat and his brother, have been a tasty delight. In early June, 32 quarts of strawberries were picked in under three hours! A total of 157 quarts were picked in a three-week span. To keep the strawberry plants blooming and this portion of the garden successful, Cat and his brother planted 250 more strawberry plants this year.

Looking ahead, customers of Cat’s Farm may anticipate green onions, sugar snap peas, radishes, garlic, beets, lettuce, carrots, potatoes, sweet corn, several varieties of squash, candy cane peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, and pumpkins in the produce boxes.

In addition to marketing the produce boxes, Gibbs is helping capture Cat’s great gardening tips and she shares these from the master gardener on the Facebook page. It’s clear the expertise Cat has gained after decades of tending the land he loves. With Cat’s gardening expertise and Gibbs’ passion for nutrition, the two are working toward their mission of growing beautiful, organic produce and providing community members access to fresh and healthy fuel for their bodies.

At right, Cat shares gardening tips with Gibbs’ oldest daughter, Phenix. Gibbs’ children often help with gardening chores.

 

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